Robert III of Flanders

Robert III of Flanders (1249-17 September 1322) was the Count of Flanders from 1305 to 1322, succeeding Guy of Flanders and preceding Louis I of Flanders.

Biography
Robert was born in 1249 to Guy of Flanders and Matilda of Bethune, and he was from the House of Dampierre. Robert fought in the campaign of his father-in-law Charles of Anjou (he was married to Blanche of Sicily) from 1265 to 1268 against Manfred of Sicily and Conrad II of Jerusalem and the 1270 Eighth Crusade, and he returned home to take part in politics. In 1300 Robert and his father were both captured by King Philip IV of France during the County of Flanders' war with the Kingdom of France, and Robert - although not there in person - defeated the French at the Battle of Courtrai in 1302. In 1305 he became Count of Flanders after the death of his father, and he reigned until his death in 1322.